Masquespacio finds inspiration in Barcelona for the Student Hotel

July 11, 2018

Text Simone Natasha ReynoldsPhotos Courtesy of Masquespacio

Barcelona – Dutch hotel group The Student Hotel has cut the ribbon on its first two student-only campus residences, situated in the Marina and Poble Sec districts of Barcelona. Local design studio Masquespacio mindfully approached the design brief by combining The Student Hotel’s usual aesthetic with local materials, as well as Catalonian textures and colours for the hotels’ shared-spaces.

The signature eclectic aesthetic connects the diverse spaces and also serves the design by influencing behaviour and alluding to spatial function through its use of colour. Although, as Masquespacio creative director Ana Hernández points out, 'It should be noted how the use of colour not only influences one’s mood, [but] it can also be used to create a bold design statement in the environment.'

Not only are these outposts mixed-use spaces – both co-living and co-working – but they’re also a coalescence of styles. Their palette references industrial aesthetics combined with seventies vintage and hints of Memphis.

'The use of colour not only influences ones mood, [but] it can also be used to create a bold design statement

Part hotel, part workspace, part entertainment facility, the unique communities formed within these hotels are hybrids in every sense of the word. By focusing on the needs of its student-only residents, Masquespacio weaved interconnectivity into the spatial design, facilitating social exchange and 'providing an environment where young, eager and aspiring minds thrive.' Swimming pools, game zones, study spaces and a choice of open or secluded seating areas are sprawled throughout the hotel’s shared spaces.

Designers continue to blend traditional notions of interior typologies through the rising trend of conglomerate spaces or cities within buildings in contemporary hospitality interior design.

Frame’s popular hospitality design series, Night Fever, is about to embark on its sixth expedition, showcasing the best places to eat, drink and sleep around the world, including this one. The publication shares a global overview of prevailing trends in hospitality design. Night Fever 6 is open for submissions. Frame invites ateliers and studios around the world to share their stories about how they distil the essence of a venue and create a specific atmosphere to meet a client’s brief.